Rereading Hebrews for liberating interdependence from within a Zimbabwean Mbire context

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Rereading Hebrews for liberating interdependence from within a Zimbabwean Mbire context

Chimeri, Dudzirai

2011-10

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: As modern society becomes more complex and diverse, a colonial reading paradigm is increasingly
becoming less plausible and has reached a point at which it is no longer possible to play tricks with
colonized peoples. It belongs to a period and expresses an outlook with which we can no longer
identify. A new epoch in the field of reading has opened. What we see in a postcolonial paradigm is
a radical shuffling of the cards into a new pattern.
This study argues that a postcolonial assumption of a plurality of contexts of salvation is a
liberating paradigm that proceeds along a path that includes the acceptance of the independence and
separate character of the various religions and the avoidance of superordination-subordination
relationships. It acknowledges and seeks to detect religious intolerance and to encourage an
approach that celebrates human cultural diversity—a rainbow religion or religious landscape. In this
study a colonial reading paradigm of the bible in general and the letter to the Hebrews in particular,
is turned on its head and colonial conception of supersessionism – an absolute claim to superiority –
rendered largely obsolete. It is no longer a case of business as usual.
As the Christian assumption of absolute claims to superiority over non-Christian religions is
increasingly becoming less plausible – in fact, obsolete – and no longer make sense to many people,
collective and collaborative efforts are an ideal alternative. There is a need to create space for other
religions to work in partnership with the Christian religion in our unprecedented communicational,
democratic and pluralistic cultural contexts where we rub shoulders with devotees of non-Christian
religions.
A pluralistic form of religious environment, where there is no one religion with preferential
privileges, is an ideal thing in our contexts. We need a different conceptualization of the role of
religion, where non-Christian religions are viewed not as demonic, false or inferior, but as worthy
colleagues in the religious quest. They are alternative and valid version of religious faith as well.
The idea that the ultimate reality, the cosmic power, has dealt with only one segment of humankind,
the Christian people, and that ideally there should be one, and only one, universal religion should be
rejected.
Moreover, for Christian people to be receptive to non-Christian religions does not entail abandoning
or betraying the Christian religion. It simply entails appropriating insights previously unavailable to
them. The idea that the Euro-American Christian theoretical line carries automatic evaluative
judgements should now be regarded as decidedly outdated.